Thomas Patterson

Tom Patterson is a proud member of the LGBTQ community, and while it took him 30 years to come out of the closet, he is thrilled to be able to work with young people who are able to live authentically at a much earlier age. Tom has lived in Iowa, Texas, New York, Ecuador, and even on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean. He has worked with homeless people with AIDS, mental health issues and substance issues, immigrants, children of migrant workers, college students, refugees and all that and more within the NYCDOE community. Tom now works as an Administrator of Special Education, supporting schools in their work with Students with Disabilities. He leads trainings for Principals, Admin, teachers, paraprofessionals, parents and students around many issues. Tom is very interested in the impact of LGBTQ training on equitable practices in school and has found that discussions of intersectionality have opened school communities to engagement around these issues.